ALBUM has been making the case to the government for a longer-term increase in bus funding from April 2023 to mitigate the impact of the end of the Bus Recovery Grant. This support has been in place since the start of the pandemic and allows operators to provide higher service levels than patronage dictates.
While operators are keen to maintain and develop services to benefit customers and their communities, the rising cost pressures facing the industry cannot simply be absorbed through a “business as usual” approach. Operators have worked hard to grow patronage figures but numbers on all routes in all areas have not grown enough to cover rising costs to the industry.
We will continue to stress to the Department for Transport that there will be a substantial negative impact on bus customers if there is no funding at all. We are supporting operators with advice on how to prepare for this and sharing best practices amongst members.
ALBUM Chairman Bill Hiron said “Bus operators face a major challenge at the end of March when the current Bus Recovery Grant and financial support for the £2 fare cap across England (outside London) come to an end. There are serious challenges ahead for both fares and service levels; we want to work with our local authority partners to understand the impact on passengers if additional funding from central government comes to an end in March.”